The end of a marriage is typically accomplished through a divorce proceeding. However, there are some instances that require a different process. In cases which may require a marriage to be marked completely invalid, an annulment is the most viable option. While a divorce acknowledges a legal marriage once existed between two parties, an annulment erases the marriage from the legal realm as if it never existed at all because of some very limited circumstances, including but not limited to:

• The parties are related by blood
• One party was already married to another
• One party was underage at the time of marriage
• One or both parties were not of sound mind during the marriage
• One party was forced into the marriage
• Either spouse perpetrated fraud–for example, marrying for a green card